柬埔寨工作見習週誌第一週：11/29–12/4
自2017年開始，中東研究一直是生活中不可分割的一塊，至今仍是，未來也是。
猶記年中，現職工作的時任主管與我提議申請「外交部國內非政府組織幹部赴海外國際非政府組織實習計畫」至柬埔寨實習，即便曉得會是一趟開拓新知與有所刺激的旅程，然內心仍百感交集。或許是因為對於自己於現地工作以文化與脈絡切入的執著，對於相較中東對於東南亞的不熟悉，以及思考著自己在這份工作上的未來著力，內心有許多猶豫。
東南亞對我來說：「又近又遠。」
(English is below.)
而11月生活在各種忙碌壓迫中，讓自己還來不及思索，前一晚匆忙打包行李就飛往柬國。初來乍到柬埔寨，吸一口空氣，帶點鹹味，說是什麼顏色，第一印象大概是淡淡的鵝黃色。
不同於於台灣用電腦看著柬國街景，搜尋著柬國歷史、文化、日常生活樣貌等，聯繫各方朋友介紹的柬國各組織與工作者，以及與實習單位 Samatapheap Khnom Organization(SKO)¹ 討論進社區與參與有關 Children Protection 與 Gender issues 方案一事，規劃著在柬的實習計畫與生活，然這一切在落地後才真正能夠思考。
因人類學背景使然，與實習單位SKO Director及家扶柬埔寨分事務所同仁討論後，決定第一週先於分事務所工作並熟悉柬國生活，第二週再開始參與實習單位計畫並進入田野。於是乎自己於這塊不熟悉的土地旅程也就這麼展開了…
湄公河流經的柬埔寨是中南半島地區悠久的文明古國，歷經扶南、真臘、高棉帝國等時期，歷史、文化、宗教與移動人口雜揉交融，且9世紀初開始的高棉帝國更於行政、農業、建築、水文、物流、城市規劃和藝術各面向，皆是創新和進步的文明的見證，是東南亞歷史文化遺產的基石；而柬埔寨這塊土地在過去或近代皆經歷許多衝突與戰爭，也為柬埔寨帶來毀滅性衝擊。因近代戰爭導致的影響，各國援助資源與組織駐點於此，數十年過去，柬埔寨雖逐漸成長，但仍是東南亞相對發展中的國家，且有著為數可觀由於戰爭造成的內部移動人口（流動者）與部分族群分歧，以及離開柬埔寨的高棉人、至國外尋求工作機會的移動人口與移入柬埔寨的各國/民族的人等，形成特殊的文化風貌、家庭組成結構與社會人口流動狀態；而因移動人口產生的文化交融現象，柬埔寨當地華人社群也形成獨特文化，看似有些許親切感，又有些距離感。然在這樣高度複雜與多元性的社會，如何從衝擊性的毀滅、到援助進而過渡到發展呢？心中的詰問在一時半刻無法解答。
這週工作，與當地柬國同仁以 Mind Map 討論明年度各項工作計畫內容，由於尚未進入社區，僅能或多或少口頭了解社區家庭的狀況，在未真進入觀察參與時，對於社區依舊只是想像。工作之餘，與同事於鄰近社區，至金邊市區走走繞繞，觀察人們的生活，於市場、於街道、於河岸邊、於都市的社區內，試圖一探都市的柬國日常；也因緣際會拜訪一位畢生致力研究並保存柬埔寨文化的人類學家 Ang Choulean² 教授，在聚會中與新認識的柬國友人們雖聊著柬埔寨的日常生活、聽著柬埔寨傳統音樂、跳著柬埔寨日常生活舞蹈、吃著柬埔寨菜餚，但看似快觸手可及柬埔寨，卻仍舊很遠。
[1] Samatapheap Khnom Organization (以下簡稱SKO)，成立於2007年，位於柬埔寨金邊地區，最初由Enfants&Développement (E&D，https://planete-eed.org/en/home/)支持，致力於通過提供促進人權和支持獲得服務的計劃，來改善柬埔寨最貧困和最脆弱家庭的生活條件，從而最大限度地提高可持續發展的潛力與參與方式，經年與UNICEF與歐盟合作，實踐過各類兒童、性別、社區議題計畫，如2017年至2020年UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women 計畫。
[2] Ang Choulean 教授為柬埔寨人類學家，致力於柬埔寨文化研究，秉持著「柬埔寨人研究柬埔寨」的原則，運用自己的民族認同來揭示柬埔寨悠久歷史中發展起來的當地生活和文化元素，為保存復興柬埔寨本土文化做出許多貢獻。
Cambodia — So Near, Yet So Far. Within Reach, Yet Unreachable.
Cambodia Job Shadowing Weekly Journal
Week One: November 29 – December 4
Since 2017, Middle Eastern studies have been an inseparable part of my life — they remain so today, and will continue to be in the future.
I still remember how, earlier in the year, the then-supervisor at my current workplace suggested I apply for the “Ministry of Foreign Affairs Domestic NGO Staff Overseas Internship Program” to intern in Cambodia. Even knowing it would be a journey of new discovery and stimulation, my feelings were deeply conflicted. Perhaps it was because of my strong commitment to approaching fieldwork through the lens of culture and context, and my unfamiliarity with Southeast Asia compared to the Middle East. Perhaps it was uncertainty about where I wanted to take my career. Whatever the reason, there was a great deal of hesitation in my heart.
Southeast Asia, for me, is something both near and far.
November was a blur of busyness and pressure, leaving me no time to think. The night before departure, I hastily packed my bags and flew to Cambodia. Arriving for the first time, I drew in a breath of air — it carried a faint saltiness. If I had to give it a color, my first impression would be something like a pale, soft amber yellow.
Unlike sitting in Taiwan looking at Cambodian street views on a computer screen, searching for Cambodian history, culture, and everyday life, reaching out through various contacts to connect with organizations and workers there, and discussing with my internship organization Samatapheap Khnom Organization (SKO)¹ about entering communities and participating in programs related to Child Protection and Gender Issues, and planning out my internship schedule and daily life in Cambodia — none of that was the real thing. Only after landing could any of it truly begin to take shape.
Because of my background in anthropology, and after discussions with the SKO Director and colleagues at the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCF) Cambodia branch, I decided that in the first week I would work primarily at the branch office and familiarize myself with Cambodian life, before beginning to participate in the internship organization’s programs and entering the field in the second week. And so my journey on this unfamiliar land quietly began.
Cambodia, through which the Mekong River flows, is one of the oldest civilizations on the Indochinese Peninsula, having passed through the eras of Funan, Chenla, and the Khmer Empire. Its history, culture, religion, and migrating populations are all deeply intertwined. Beginning in the early 9th century, the Khmer Empire stood as a witness to innovation and progress across administration, agriculture, architecture, hydrology, logistics, urban planning, and the arts — it is a cornerstone of Southeast Asia’s historical and cultural heritage. Yet the land of Cambodia has also endured many conflicts and wars, both in the distant and recent past, bringing devastating shocks to the country. The impact of modern warfare drew aid resources and organizations from around the world, and decades later, while Cambodia has gradually grown, it remains a relatively developing nation within Southeast Asia. There are considerable numbers of internally displaced people (movers) caused by war, as well as certain inter-ethnic divisions; Khmer people who have left Cambodia; migrating populations seeking work opportunities abroad; and people from various countries and ethnic backgrounds who have moved into Cambodia — all of this creating a distinctive cultural character, family structure, and social demographic flux. The cultural fusion brought about by these patterns of movement has also given rise to a unique culture among the local Chinese community in Cambodia — a community that feels at once somewhat familiar and somewhat distant. Yet within this highly complex and pluralistic society, how does one move from devastating destruction, through aid, and onward into development? The question in my heart could not be answered in a moment.
This week at work, I joined Cambodian colleagues in using mind maps to discuss the various work plans for the coming year. Since I had not yet entered the communities, I could only gain a partial, verbal sense of the situations facing community families. Without truly entering, observing, and participating, the community remained, for me, still only imagined. Outside of work, I walked around with colleagues in the surrounding neighborhoods and in central Phnom Penh — observing people’s lives in markets, on streets, along the riverbanks, within urban communities — trying to catch a glimpse of ordinary Cambodian daily life in the city. By a happy coincidence, I also had the chance to visit Professor Ang Choulean², an anthropologist who has devoted his entire life to researching and preserving Cambodian culture. At the gathering, I chatted with newly met Cambodian friends about everyday life in Cambodia, listened to traditional Cambodian music, joined in everyday Cambodian folk dances, and ate Cambodian food — and yet, even as Cambodia seemed almost within grasp, it still felt very far away.
Note [1]: Samatapheap Khnom Organization (hereafter SKO), established in 2007 and based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, was initially supported by Enfants & Développement (E&D, https://planete-eed.org/en/home/). It is dedicated to improving the living conditions of Cambodia’s poorest and most vulnerable families by providing programs that promote human rights and facilitate access to services, thereby maximizing the potential for sustainable development and meaningful participation. Over the years it has partnered with UNICEF and the EU to implement a range of programs addressing issues of children, gender, and community — including the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women program from 2017 to 2020.
Note [2]: Professor Ang Choulean is a Cambodian anthropologist dedicated to the study of Cambodian culture. Guided by the principle that “Cambodians study Cambodia,” he draws on his own ethnic identity to illuminate the elements of local life and culture that have developed throughout Cambodia’s long history, and has made many contributions to the preservation and revival of Cambodia’s indigenous cultural heritage.